This opening keynote will also delve into the evolution of legal operations, from traditional models to the potential for more dynamic, AI-enhanced frameworks—with a particular focus on the mind shift from 'Value vs. Effort' to 'Potential vs. Effort' – inspiring firms to experiment with confidence and invest in the necessary skillsets for a future where technology amplifies capability. 

Cambria will challenge law firms to adopt this 'fail fast, better' mindset, emphasizing the importance of innovation and the willingness to embrace failure as a steppingstone to success. He will draw on his extensive experience to illustrate how strategic initiatives and a commitment to foundational growth are crucial ingredients to understanding and leveraging AI's potential. 

So how does a firm like Chapman process and absorb today’s technological disruption and the mania surrounding artificial intelligence – with the purported transformative impact of the printing press or the internet?  

What can it do that we can’t do now?  What can it do better than what we do now?  With a full year under their belts in posing questions (like these) and evaluating opportunities, several leaders from the firm will share their assessment and impressions around the possible impact of AI tools.  

This discussion will focus on the practical, as opposed to the purely technical – sharing perspectives around culture, leadership, and strategy as we all ponder the plethora of options, risk, and opportunity.    

And, maybe most relevant of all, how can firms balance practical and realistic expectations, with noise from the marketplace?  

BakerML provides strategic guidance to firm-wide AI initiatives, such as its recent Microsoft/Open AI rollouts and evaluation of GenAI-infused vendor solutions. However, the core focus of the team (which includes data scientists, engineers, lawyers and service designers) is on developing new, high value AI-enabled services that satisfy unmet client needs. 

Join BakerML's Director, Associate and Senior Data Scientists as they walk through some recent success stories, including multi-$M global client retainer deployments, that demonstrate the power of this team approach.

Built on OpenAI's Large Language Models via a secure API, BuchananArtifex is not just another tool; it's a testament to the firm's commitment to exceeding functionality, security, and usability expectations. 

The platform addresses industry-specific challenges, such as the need for enduring memory in AI chatbots and real-time, accurate data, all while aligning closely with users' actual needs and feedback. This discussion will delve into the firm's culture of continuous improvement and collaborative learning, fostered by a strong foundation in data literacy.  

BuchananArtifex serves as a conduit for shared insights and collective intelligence, contributing to a growing repository of knowledge that benefits both the firm and its clients. 

Join us to discover how Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is setting new benchmarks in legal technology by making data literacy the cornerstone of its innovation strategy. 

Firms lacking in-house development capabilities may find value in third-party solutions, avoiding the complexities of product creation. Conversely, firms with onboard technical expertise can tailor bespoke tools that directly address unique challenges, potentially creating a unique competitive edge. 

In reality, most firms occupy the middle ground, balancing in-house development with strategic outsourcing based on specific project needs and future goals. This panel will navigate these intricacies, examining critical factors like cost, time, and internal expertise that influence the decision to build or buy, particularly within the realm of generative AI. Attendees will gain insights into how different firms are approaching this decision, highlighting the benefits and circumstances around custom tool development as well as demonstrating when external solutions are more advantageous.  

As the prompt engineering crowd knows, we need to “take a deep breath,” take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and flip the script.  The question isn’t whether AI will change how we live and work: the key questions are when, where, and how?  The answers are murky but are rooted in what people will and won’t do.  The challenge facing law firms today is a human one, and now is the time for law firm leaders to rise to the occasion with vision, curiosity, courage, and empathy. 

This closing session by Jae Um, Founder and Executive Director of Six Parsecs, will pull together strategic context and commercial insight to make sense of the current state of play in legal business – and paint a picture of the competitive context law firms can expect in the next 3 to 5 years.  Attendees should expect dataviz, emoji, and a provocative call to action. 

If we must learn to train machines much the way we would firm associates; to apprentice them and develop their skillsets, and effectively oversee their work, how will various roles and responsibilities evolve as we balance a desire to “let a thousand blossoms bloom” with a need for achieving cost control, security, and reliability? 

An acceleration in the democratization of technology suggests a shift from a traditional command and control approach to a more open environment where various AI technologies and use cases proliferate.  How do we as firm leaders cope with the changing dynamics of strategic oversight? 

How do we synthesize voices among the partnership to find a comfortable middle ground along the risk tolerance spectrum—establishing acceptable ground rules from a loss prevention standpoint?   

In this illuminating and candid discussion, our esteemed panel will explore the transformative impact of AI and the democratization of technology, focusing on the evolving nature of the work itself and how this will inevitably redefine roles and the functional landscape within law firms and legal departments. 

Recognizing that every law firm has its unique approach to data, our esteemed panelists will delve into why a centralized data strategy is crucial for accelerating digital transformation. The discussion will explore multiple facets of building a data strategy—from assessing the current data maturity level, identifying key questions, and aligning projects with business goals, to selecting enabling technologies and establishing leadership/ownership. 

Panelists will tackle the critical issue of data silos that inhibit effective use of data and will discuss ways to tap into the immense amount of unstructured data that law firms are sitting on. What competitive advantages can be gained through effective data strategy? What skill sets are missing in today’s law firms, and what should firms be prioritizing when hiring?  

The panel will also identify common mistakes in developing a data strategy and will provide key insights into data governance and stakeholder engagement. Join us for a comprehensive look at how law firms can take actionable steps to develop a strategic direction that not only optimizes internal processes but also adds significant value for clients. 

We will discuss why generative AI has been embraced so readily by lawyers, who historically have been slow to adopt technology. We plan an open dialog about how cutting edge teams are navigating huge amounts of litigation data efficiently with AI, a lively debate about whether or not AI is actually saving clients' money, and an exploration of how we can use AI to solve even bigger problems. Lastly, we will consider the importance of nurturing strategic thinking among young lawyers amidst technological advancements. Join us to gain insights into the transformative potential of AI in litigation and beyond.

As such the legal industry has been buzzing the past year about an imminent revolution in the law and how legal services are delivered. Yet from a pure business perspective, many (albeit powerful) GenAI tasks such as enterprise search, natural language generation, document tagging, and summarization are focused on disrupting the PRACTICE of law, versus the BUSINESS of law.  

This panel will explore how firms are using AI not just to increase productivity in service delivery, but also to improve client retention, accelerate revenues, and strengthen client relationships. We will discuss how the rise of client intelligence data, coupled with modern AI capabilities, are empowering firms and the vendors that serve them to better achieve strategic growth objectives, boost client satisfaction, and improve firm financial performance overall.  

Our panel will also address broader trends around a client-centric versus a practice-centric mindset that is reframing how firms are thinking about applications of AI technology to create enduring value for their clients.  

In this closing panel, our experts will discuss the strategic integration of generative AI in legal practice, emphasizing a human-centered approach that aligns learning and adoption with the core goals of law firms and their clients. We'll explore practical strategies for behavioral change and human adoption, focusing on collaborative learning and leadership. 

This session offers a unique perspective on how to start experimenting with GenAI across the firm, fostering a culture of innovation that aligns learning, communication, and strategy. 

Attendees will leave with a comprehensive roadmap to guide change in their organizations understanding the essential need for leadership in driving successful AI adoption. Join us as we share experiences, lessons learned, and visions for a future where technology enhances, rather than replaces, the human element in legal services.